Sonic Boom Tales
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: A collection of Sonic Boom stories, mostly starring Knuckles and the rest of the Sonic Boom gang as they get caught in whirlwind of adventures inspired both by the game, comics, and TV series. I hope you enjoy them, and please Read and Review!
1. Episode 1: Dark Knuckles

**Sonic Boom Tales**

** By: Phoenix Ride**

**Episode 1: Dark Knuckles**

**Knuckles groaned as he rubbed his shoulder, tired from the events that had happened earlier that day. Today had definitely not been one of his prouder moments. During Eggman's assault with his new deadly machine, he managed to get stomped on by a giant foot, and yelled at by Amy Rose.**

** Amy Rose always had to be there to direct the fight, especially when Knuckles was around to help Sonic and Tails succeed, believing the echidna to be to dim to understand strategy. Oh, how Knuckles secretly hated her.**

** Things only got worse when the rock-cyborg attacked. Knuckles thought it was a pretty reasonable question how a creature made of rock could also be a cyborg, but when Amy tried to explain it in simple terms, it still didn't make a whole lot of sense.**

** Finally, the Rose had a plan, and Sonic and Tails immediately sprinted off to carry on their portion of the work. Amy led Knuckles away from battle, making the echidna frustrated because he really wanted to fight.**

**"What are we doing out here?" Knuckles had asked.**

** "We're setting up an ambush!" yelled Amy " Try and actually think for a change!"**

** The sharp words from that insult stung Knuckles to the core, but the hurt was immediately replaced by intense anger, and it continued to fester even as the sun set beyond the rise.**

* * *

><p><strong> After Tail's house was restored to its primary condition, Knuckles wiped off his brow, and heading for the door so he could go home, when the faint whispers of voices suddenly caught his sensitive ears.<strong>

** Leaning over near a door a crack, Knuckles peered his eyes into the living room where Sonic, Amy, and Tails sat, straightening up a few things that been moved during the home's brief moment as a hat.**

** "Looks good as new" said Sonic proudly, looking at his twin-tailed friend " We'll be able to sleep here tonight."**

** "I hope so" said Tails " Boy, talk about a rough day."**

**"Yeah" said Sonic, leaning back on the couch " I wonder what Egghead will cook up next time. A scorpion? A Kill-Bot?"**

** "Well, whatever it is" said Tails " we can handle it, right Amy?"**

** "Yeah" said Amy " as long as a certain 'kidna keeps pulling his weight."**

** "Mad at Knuckles again?" Sonic guessed curiously " I don't get it, what's between you two?"**

** "He's just not that bright when it comes to strategy" said Amy, aggressively " I mean, he's almost as dumb as Sticks. All day today I had to yell at him for my plans to get across. He's just not capable of thinking on his own."**

** Knuckles silently gasped at the comment, and narrowed his eyes, turning around and deciding to stalk out the back door. Better to leave quietly then step through Amy's ego.**

**"Aren't you being a little harsh?" asked Sonic "Sure, Knuckles may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he's the strength on our team. Without his power, who knows what jams we would be in."**

** "Wow Sonic" said Tails " I never heard you praise someone this highly before."**

** "Well don't let it spread around" said Sonic " Knuckles is a good teammate, the last thing we need to do is crush his soul."**

* * *

><p><strong> Little did Sonic know, that at this moment, Knuckles soul was crushed. Crushed to the point of aggravation where nothing but evil thoughts twisted and turned in his head. With every vision, Knuckles watched Amy Rose suffer greatly for every mean word she had ever said. Burned, shredded, slashed, it didn't matter as long as she felt pain.<strong>

** Did Sonic and Tails believe that he was as dumb as Sticks too? That he was a burden to have around whenever Eggman launched an assault?**

**Stopping in the middle of the forest, Knuckles looked down as he thought about all the past battles he had with his team. Whenever a robot attacked, it was usually Tails or Sonic that brought it down. Dr. Eggman never really created complex designs because his robot sidekicks usually skipped a few chapters in the building plans.**

** Knuckles only lent in his power when needed when faced off with tougher models that Sonic, Tails, and even Amy couldn't crack. **

** "Bet they'll have a tougher time against the strong robots without me there," thought Knuckles to himself, and then lifted his head up suddenly, getting an idea.**

** At last, revenge would be had, and Amy would be put in her place! First thing tomorrow morning, he would go out and seek some help.**

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning, inside Eggman's island fortress, the Doctor yawned awake from his bed, and ordered Orbot and Cubot to get their chores done right away. Cubot immediately sped to the kitchen to make his master breakfast, while Orbot floated over to the kitchen table to retrieve the newspaper he had been reading for Eggman.<strong>

** Once the paper was in Eggman's hands, the doorbell rang much vigorously.**

** "Uh" Eggman groaned " insurance salesman. Orbot, go answer and make them go away. Cubot, hurry up or the eggs will ruin!"**

** While the yellow robot rushed out of the kitchen with a cart of food, Orbot went over to the door to politely turn their guest away, but when he opened it to do so, he quickly backed away with surprise and fear.**

** "Uh Doc" stuttered Orbot nervously " you may want to see who it is."**

** Noticing the tone in his robot's voice, Eggman slightly turned away from the banana he was about to eat, and gasped in shock when he noticed a familiar, red figure standing in the doorway.**

**"Hey Doc" said Knuckles with his arms crossed, and wicked smile on his lips " want to team up?"**

** "Team up?" Eggman asked surprised " You? Why would one Sonic's friends want to help me?"**

** "For my own reasons" said Knuckles smugly " with your brains and my power we'll be an unstoppable force. Don't you agree?"**

** Still stunned by the offer, Eggman brought Orbot and Cubot instantly to his side so that they could discuss the terms. They pretty much all agreed that having Knuckles might would help them all greatly in their plans for world conquest, and having a spy inside the heroes network was always a good tool to own.**

** "Alright Knuckles" said Eggman, approaching the still echidna " we have a deal. The first thing we do is take care of Sonic and his friends."**

**With that said, the two opposing sides shook hands, and an evil pact was formed.**

* * *

><p><strong>Later that morning, Sonic and the gang were over at Tails house to help finish the last of the repairs. Although doing their best to guarantee the house would remain in one piece after they had stopped the rock-cyborg, there were a still a few minor pieces to be fixed. Luckily for Sonic and the others, only a few final touches remained.<strong>

** Speeding to and from with lumber in hand, Sonic ran around the construction site with Amy yelling commands. Everyone had showed to help out with this project, but while working, Sonic couldn't help but notice the absence of one particular person who had not shown up yet to help.**

** "Where is he?" thought Sonic to himself " It's not like Knux to be late."**

** A small feeling of dread couldn't help but creep through Sonic's fur as the minutes passed. What if Knuckles decided not to show up at all?**

** After Amy had left last night, Sonic and Tails went to see how Knuckles was doing and greet him a goodbye, only to find the back door lying ajar the moment they stepped into the hall. Knuckles had already departed, keeping well out of sight from his friends.**

**"Do you think he could have heard us?" Tails asked Sonic, and the blue hedgehog didn't have a clue how to respond, and just looked at the door, fearing the worst.**

** Fading out from his flash-back, Sonic ran over to get another set of lumber when a thundering shock sent him rolling on the ground. **

** "Hahahaha!" laughed the cruel voice of Eggman, sitting at the controls of his new machine that somehow looked like a cobra on steroids. "Today Sonic, you will die!"**

** "Yeah yeah" said Sonic calmly, waving his hand "You say that so much it gets old. Try some new material Egghead."**

** "It's Eggman!" the genius cried "Cobra-Bot, destroy them!"**

** With that said, Eggman attacked, and Sonic and the gang got ready to counter. Today's robot was a little tougher model than they had to deal with in the past. No open weak points except for the cockpit on the hood. To make things worse, Cobra-Bot could breathe fire, and the heroes had to twist and dodge just to avoid the burning flames.**

** Amy racked her brain hard to come up with a strategy, but failed, and gasped as Sonic's attack was sent bouncing off the cobra's hull. **

**"I need to think of something" thought Amy desperately, after an attack with her hammer failed " but what?"**

** "Looks like you could use a hand," said a familiar voice from behind her.**

** Quickly turning around, Amy immediately breathed out a sigh of both anger and relief to see the muscular build of Knuckles right when they needed it most. **

** "About time you showed up!" said Amy, pointing towards Eggman's machine " We need to punch a weak spot in that thing so Sonic and the others can have a chance."**

** Knuckles eyes narrowed at the demand, but Amy was to worried at the moment to notice the rage boiling beneath.**

** "And just what's the plan?" he asked softly.**

**"I just told you!" said Amy, turning around to point at the Cobra-Bot "Punch…it."**

** Amy's voice swooned as she suddenly felt a large force slam her to the ground, eyelids flickering in and out of consciousness. **

** "What…just happened?" Amy thought to herself, as darkness came to her eyes.**

** Towering above her, the smug form of Knuckles stood, cradling a fist in his palm, glad on what he had achieved. Soon, his revenge would be complete.**

* * *

><p><strong> Back on the battle field, Sonic and Tails were getting extremely tired on dodging the flames, and Sticks boomerang was no longer useful since it got burned to a crisp. They were running out of options fast, what more could be done? Suddenly, Tails was struck by a brilliant idea.<strong>

**"Sonic, I got a plan," said the fox, and quickly whispered it into the hedgehog's ear.**

** Nodding that he understood, Sonic immediately ran up towards the Cobra-Bot, and started teasing Eggman to no end. Angry at the insults being thrown at him, Eggman directed Cobra-Bot to chase after Sonic, not noticing Tails sneak up on him from behind. **

** Landing on top of the hood where Eggman couldn't see, the twin-tailed fox immediately set to work on unscrewing a small plate of metal so he could reach the wires inside. Once a plate was off, Tails dove his hands in and started messing with Cobra-Bot's mechanics.**

** Eggman gasped in alarm as his snake suddenly stopped in its tracks, and fell towards the ground with a big heap. Once down, Sonic sped around and put some sand through the hole Tails had created, making the huge machine begin to short circuit and spark.**

** Knowing that his robot was bound to explode, Eggman immediately ejected in his cockpit and sent it to flight mode. He made out mere seconds before Cobra-Bot exploded and burst into flames. **

** "No!" Eggman cried " My beautiful invention!"**

** "Face it Eggman" said Sonic with a smile " you're going to need something more than a machine in order to beat us."**

** "Hahahaha!" laughed Eggman, shocking the heroes with his mirth " I got even something better than that, a sidekick! Isn't that right Knuckles?"**

** Following Eggman's outstretched arm, Sonic gasped in amazement when he spotted a familiar figure standing up on the ridge, an unconscious Amy cradled under his arms. His violet stare told everyone that what Eggman said was real.**

** "Knuckles! No way!" shouted Sonic.**

** "Why would he join Eggman's team?" asked Tails.**

** "Sonic" said Knuckles, his voice cold and harsh " if you want to save her, we'll be waiting at Eggman's fortress. Don't be late."**

** With that said, Knuckles hopped inside of Eggman's hovercraft with his prisoner as the genius drove by, leaving his friends behind to stare and stand. Sonic ground his fists with guilt as the anger rose. His friend, was now his enemy.**

* * *

><p><strong> Later that evening, in Eggman's dungeon, a woozy Amy Rose slowly lifted up herself from the floor, holding a hand pressed to the right side of her head. The shockwaves of the punch she had received earlier still rang out cool and clear, as did the memory of who had caused her to collapse.<strong>

** "You're up," said Knuckles, grinning a few feet in front of Amy, safe from her fury because of the cell bars.**

** "Knuckles!" shouted Amy in rage " Out of all of the things you've done this is the dumbest! Why are you working for Eggman?!"**

** "Maybe I'm actually thinking for a change" said Knuckles, replaying Amy's insult " You never appreciated me on the team. Dumb as Sticks wasn't it?"**

** All of Amy's anger instantly dissolved into shock.**

** "You heard that?" she asked, her voice soft and torn.**

** Knuckles said nothing to her, and just turned angrily away and left. He had to be prepared when Sonic arrived. **

** Amy sank down of her knees, tears of guilt streaming down, as she gazed around the now empty room. Sonic's voice came back to her like a bad memory.**

_**"Well don't let it spread around. Knuckles is a good teammate. The last thing we need to do is crush his soul."**_

"**Crush his soul?" Amy thought in an instant "That's what I did didn't I? I've turned Knuckles away from our team."**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hahahaha!" laughed Eggman joyfully in his lab "That was one of my finest victories yet! The look on Sonic's face when he realized his friend had betrayed him was gold! Pure gold!"<strong>

"**Yes, brilliant Doctor" clapped Orbot "Sonic will be putty in your hands."**

"**That he will" said Eggman gladly, then turned to face his yellow, cube-shaped robot " Cubot, is everything ready for Sonic's arrival?"**

"**Yes sir" said Cubot " but I believe…,"**

**Before the robot could finish, the alarms started to go off, and the sounds of gunfire could be heard blasting outside.**

"**Why didn't you tell me he was coming early?" Eggman growled, seeing zip by one of the outside monitors " Blast you Sonic! So soon?"**

"**Troubles Doc?" asked Knuckles, walking into the room.**

"**Ah Knuckles" said Eggman, immediately losing his panic " Perfect time to arrive. It seems our guests are getting a bit restless, go and give them a big welcome won't you?"**

"**Whatever you say Doc" grinned Knuckles slyly " Whatever you say."**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, pounding his way through Eggman's fortress, Sonic was dashing around, running with steam. Burning through the hedgehog's mind was the unbelievable image of the last few hours. To have a friend side with the enemy was about the lowest things could get.<strong>

"**No doubt he must have heard our talk with Amy" thought Sonic as he ran " but to go all this way for revenge? Knuckles, what were you thinking man?"**

**The 'why' didn't matter as much right now as the situation. Amy was in danger, Knuckles was on the dark side, and they had to take him down. **

"**Alright Sonic" came in Tail's voice from the hedgehog's ear mike " security's down, you should be all clear."**

"**Thanks pal" Sonic responded " see you inside."**

**With that said, Sonic darted past the last few lines of defenses and darted into the fortress, where Knuckles and Eggman waited patiently to bring his end.**

* * *

><p><strong>The inside of the fortress was not as impressive as the out, at least in Sonic's terms. Tails may have found a reason to geek out at a thing or two, but all Sonic understood about technology was that it was useful and you bash it to bits.<strong>

**Pausing in a room leading towards the jail cells, Sonic took notice that everything was suddenly dark. A large circle of glowing orange floor-lights is all that lit up the room, and near the edge of some of these lights, illuminated by their glow, a dark figure stood, catching Sonic in his violet gaze.**

"**Out of the way Knuckles" said Sonic " I know you're mad, but you can't just join up with the bad guys and take Amy away."**

"**Sorry Sonic" said Knuckles, crouching into a fighting position " this is the way it has to be."**

**And with no other words to be said, the two former friends charged.**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, sitting bored in her jail cell, and her Piko Piko Hammer way out of reach, a glum Amy Rose sat brooding, wondering if she would ever be saved.<strong>

**Suddenly, the sharp twang of a ceiling tile crashed in as it smashed against the floor. Jumping up at the noise, Amy peered out of her cage bars, smiling as she saw the familiar twin-tailed form of her friend Tails drop into the room.**

"**Tails!" Amy called out in excitement to the fox.**

"**Amy!" responded Tails, rushing to her cage " Hold on for a sec, I'll get you out."**

"**Grab my hammer!" said Amy before Tails could tinker with the lock.**

**Nodding that he understood, Tails ran over to grab the Piko Hammer, and swung it with all his might against the cage bars. The result of the force was instant, and the metal bent and shattered, allowing Amy to step out free.**

"**Thanks Tails" said Amy, retrieving her hammer, then asked "Where's Sonic?"**

"**Looking for you" said Tails " and for Knuckles. I just don't understand why Knuckles would turn to the bad side."**

"**I think I do" said Amy " and it's time I make it right. Come on Tails, let's go find them. Sonic may be in trouble."**

* * *

><p><strong>Sonic was in trouble, but not in the way Amy originally thought. It was his speed versus Knuckles power, and though both sides were now slightly damaged, both opponents refused to give in either inch. <strong>

"**Just like old times" Sonic thought to himself, dodging another punch " back when Knuckles and I were old enemies instead of rivals."**

**He remembered those days so clearly now.**

**Before the Sonic team was really formed, Knuckles was a drifter who had arrived in town, looking for an adventure and maybe some new friends. Sonic didn't really recall where Knuckles said he came from at the time. His ears were so full of Amy chatting about an exciting new discovery, that he could barely catch every word.**

**Surprisingly, Knuckles wasn't as big then as he was right now. Back then, he was just slightly taller than both Sonic and Tails, his hands were huge, and his arms were thin. You would have never had guessed there was a powerhouse hidden behind that svelte-like feature.**

**Volunteering to help in the quest, Knuckles joined Amy's expedition, and slowly everyone began to accept him as a big help to the team. His strength came in handy during many difficult situations, and Sonic felt as if a friendly bond was being formed.**

**However, when they finally found the treasure they were looking for, that's when things went bad. Knuckles revealed that this was the place where he had lived for many years, and that it was his job to prevent the treasure from falling into evil's hands.**

**He had only left the cave briefly because he was curious to explore, but when he saw Amy Rose planned to use the map she made in order to find the Chaos Crystals, he had to stop them at any cost. All those accidents that had happened to them on their way here were Knuckles doing, and now, with the help of the power Chaos Crystal, he was going to finish the job.**

**Absorbing the power of the Chaos Crystal into his body, Knuckles physique transformed into his more modern-day version, muscle-like self. His strong arms pounded together, and Sonic braced himself for a fight.**

**During battle, Knuckles held nothing back against Sonic's speed, keeping the hedgehog firm on his toes. It took a lot of hard work on Sonic's part to finally bring Knuckles down, but eventually, the blue hedgehog was successful, and Knuckles kneeled down in defeat.**

"**This is not possible" Knuckles breathed, highly disappointed in himself " I have failed. My mission…was to stop you?"**

"**Mission?" asked Sonic, confused "What are you talking about?"**

**And that's when the real enemy revealed himself, changing Knuckles views on how noble Sonic and his friends really were. Since that exciting first adventure, they all became really good friends.**

"**Would it be so hard to get that back?" thought Sonic, drifting out from his flash-back as he dodged another punch.**

"**Hmm" said Eggman, looking down at the two opponents fighting from a hidden window " I could just wait until they finish destroying each other, but I do hate suspense. Orbot, do it now!"**

"**Roger," said Orbot, and pulled a switch.**

**Instantly, there was a change in the room Sonic and Knuckles had been fighting in. The orange beams that flowed from floor and ceiling lights, now connected to form a deadly, laser bar cage. This observation came to Knuckles a little to late, as he slammed Sonic with a sharp uppercut, propelling the poor hedgehog into one of the newly formed beams.**

**Knuckles gaze widened in horror, as he saw Sonic get painfully electrocuted right before his eyes. He had not expected Eggman to a play a trick like this, and angrily ground his fists together, as Sonic struggled, and then blacked out on the floor.**

"**Eggman!" shouted Knuckles in rage "This wasn't part of the deal!"**

"**Plans change my friend" answered Eggman through a mike " The deal was that you would help me destroy Sonic. I just thought you could use a little hand."**

**With that said, a small robot suddenly slipped through the laser bar grid, transforming into a slightly larger size once it was in the cage. Knuckles gasped as he was facing a robot version of himself, eyes glowing yellow, and plated with armor.**

"**I thought you'd might like this little doodad" complimented Eggman " It was inspired by you. I call him…Metal Knuckles."**

"**Great" thought Knuckles to himself "there's a Metal Sonic, and now there's a metal me. I really screwed up this time."**

"**Now Metal Knuckles" called Eggman " Destroy Sonic!"**

**Metal Knuckles immediately charged to carry out his master's demand, while the real Knuckles ground his fists, churning with anger and guilt. This whole revenge plan had gone way to far. It was time to stop it…NOW!**

**Without any thought for his own safety, Knuckles stepped right in front of the injured Sonic, and stopped the robot Knuckles assault.**

"**Traitor!" yelled Eggman through the microphone " Metal Knuckles, forget Sonic! Destroy your counterpart!"**

**And with that said, Knuckles and Metal Knuckles faced off.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>He should be this way," said Tails, leading Amy through the halls.<strong>

**Sonic had failed to report in twenty minutes ago, and both friends had a horrible feeling in their gut that something had went wrong. Tracking the signal on Sonic's communicator, Tails led Amy on a chase through many corridors until they finally reached the dark room where Sonic and Knuckles were. The sight that met their eyes was bizarre.**

**Trapped inside a laser-like cage, an unconscious Sonic lay passed out on the floor, while two Knuckles faced each other in a brutal battle to survive.**

"**Sonic!" cried out Amy in concern.**

"**Knuckles!" shouted Tails.**

"**Guys!" shouted Knuckles, turning slightly away from his fight " Bring this barrier down! Sonic's hurt bad!" **

"**On it!" said Tails, immediately heading towards Eggman and the controls. Even though the hidden window Eggman was watching through was shielded by darkness, the light from the lasers illuminated the edge.**

"**No!" shouted Eggman in distress "Robots, stop them!" **

**An army of robots suddenly appeared, and Amy immediately went to war with her Piko Piko Hammer, unleashing all of her rage from being cruelly locked up. Tails made it to the control room with seconds to spare, while Knuckles endurance started to tire against Metal Knuckles swings.**

**Still fatigued from his fight with Sonic, Knuckles didn't know how much longer he could last, until Amy shouted out a command.**

"**The cage Knuckles!" yelled Amy " Use the cage!"**

"**Use the cage?" Knuckles thought to himself, and then it hit him "Right!"**

**Ducking under another punch thrown by Metal, Knuckles sweeped out the robot's legs, grabbed the arm that threw the punch, and then tossed Metal Knuckles against the laser grid cage. The robot screamed and exploded on impact, just before the bars descended back into the floor.**

"**Let's get out here," said Knuckles, scooping up the injured Sonic on his shoulders, as Amy and Tails came down from their respective quests.**

**Nodding in agreement, the two friends joined Knuckles on a hectic escape through Eggman's fortress, while in the control room, the genius moaned and groaned, his plan having failed once again.**

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours later, groaning in pain, Sonic found his eyes waking back to the living world, in the confines of Tails house, bandages wrapping his sides. The faces of his friends stood above him, looking seriously relieved.<strong>

"**Glad you're awake pal," said Knuckles, smiling.**

"**You seem to be healing just fine," said Tails.**

"**You sure about that?" said Sonic, struggling to sit up " How'd we get back here? What happened at the fortress?"**

"**Eggman lost, again" said Tails " but we did manage to get something out of the deal."**

**With that said, Sonic looked at Knuckles, a smile forming on his face.**

"**Knuckles" grinned Sonic " so you decided to come back after all."**

"**Yeah, well" said Knuckles " I'm sorry about that. It was stupid for me to team up with Eggman just because I was mad at Rose."**

"**Don't worry Knuckles" said Sonic " we all have regrets. But it's time to put that behind us, right Amy?"**

**Amy sighed, knowing instantly what Sonic wanted her do. Turning to face Knuckles, the pink hedgehog swallowed up her ego, and politely bowed.**

"**Knuckles, I'm sorry" said Amy " It was mean for me to insult you like that, and say all those ugly things. We can really use you back on the team. So, can you forgive me?"**

**Knuckles just grinned.**

"**Yeah" said Knuckles, gladly " I guess I can."**

**At the tone of forgiveness, Sonic sighed in content, relieved that the rift formed between their team had finally been healed. The friends were friends again, and the future looked bright.**


	2. Episode 2: The Shadow's Apprentice

**Episode 2: The Shadow's Apprentice **

**The sun rose up early the next dawn, reflecting its light upon a peaceful breeze that twisted and twirled through the leaves of the forest that Knuckles walked. For once, in a long while, he had a free day to enjoy.**

**There were no worries, no adventures, no giant robots tearing up the town. Now was as good as time as any to calm down and train. Shoes crunching against the soft grass, Knuckles steadily made his way up to a special training grounds where he was sure not to be disturbed.**

**A few minutes later, he arrived in a clearing, stacked with wooden poles and logs all destined to improve his physical skill. Picking out a few logs to bench and punch, Knuckles slowly got started on his warming exercises, not noticing a shadow stealthily sneaking its way through the trees, keeping a sharp eye on the echidna with his ruby red gaze.**

"**This looks interesting" the figure thought to himself " think I'll step in."**

**And with that in mind, the figure sped down towards Knuckles to engage.**

* * *

><p><strong>Knuckles felt the attack coming before it could really hit him, but had little time to react as his body was suddenly pushed to the ground, bringing up some dirt. Seething with rage that he had been easily ambushed, Knuckles stood up to face his opponent, fists raised and ready to fight.<strong>

**His will for battle paused however when he noted the familiarity of the opponent he had turned to fight. Outlined now, in the slightly shaded forest light, was the figure of a hedgehog, who looked proud and strong.**

**Knuckles first instinct was that it was Sonic just playing a practical joke, but quickly changed his mind when he didn't spot the familiar blue fur. The hedgehog before him fur was pure black, with red streaks highlighting his arms and spines. His red eyes caught Knuckles in their smug gaze, as the red echidna finally found enough focus to speak.**

"**Who are you?" demanded Knuckles.**

**The black hedgehog said nothing and just attacked. Knuckles was ready for him this time however, and immediately countered back against the hedgehog's speed. Whoever this mysterious character was, he was strong, and his speed was probably enough to even put Sonic in his place. **

"**But he's not as strong as me!" thought Knuckles, pushing back against the creatures spin " This guy may have some moves, but this is my turf, and I'm going to beat him down!"**

**With that thought, Knuckles punched the backs of a few logs, and sent them speeding towards the hedgehog like roaring trains. The black hedgehog immediately jumped to dodge the rumbling wood, skipping over the logs like was playing a simple game hopscotch. **

**When the last log passed from under him, the hedgehog slowly began his descent to the ground, and as soon as his feet touched the surface, a thundering wave rang out as Knuckles, sending the hedgehog sprawling on his back.**

**His opponent down, Knuckles immediately rushed in to deliver a strong blow, only for the hedgehog to dodge a mere second before the attack could hit. The ground cracked under the force of Knuckles, and the red echidna instantly sent his violet eyes whirling around, watching as the hedgehog suddenly sped to the cover of the trees.**

"**Come on out!" yelled Knuckles, daring his enemy to make a move.**

**A slight whistling suddenly caught Knuckles ear, as rain of light, yellow daggers suddenly soared towards his head. The hedgehog hadn't left the fight, he had simply run around to one of the trees where he could get a better shot at Knuckles firing his Chaos Spears.**

**Knuckles ran immediately to shield himself behind one of the wooden targets that he had made, feeling the sting of only few spears against his skin before his body was covered. Whoever this hedgehog was, it was starting to get Knuckles really mad.**

"**There just has to be a way to take this guy!" he growled, and suddenly his brain hatched a plan.**

**Up in the trees, the hedgehog stopped his Chaos Spear assault when Knuckles took cover behind the wooden target. **

"**That won't save you," he thought, immediately dropping down and going into a spin.**

**Streaking like a bullet, the black hedgehog blasted and smashed into the wooden target, splintering it to pieces. Immediately his red gaze noticed that nothing else stood behind the wall. However, before he could question just where Knuckles had gone, the echidna decided to answer it for him.**

**With a yell, Knuckles dive-bombed from the trees, slamming the hedgehog into the ground with a furious fist. The force of the impact caused the black hedgehog's body to sink a few inches into the dirt, while Knuckles smiled with pride, glad that his attack had worked.**

**The hedgehog was smiling too. Finally, here was an opponent worthy of his power.**

**The grin never leaving his face, the black hedgehog surprised Knuckles as his entire body started to glow red.**

"**Chaos Blast!" he shouted, propelling the echidna back.**

**Knuckles couldn't help from shaking his head from the powerful shock as his back slammed hard against a tree. Where had the hedgehog gotten this much power? Had he been holding back this whole time?**

**The answer seemed to be 'yes' as time suddenly grew still, and Knuckles felt his body being pounded left and right. Whatever was happening now, he was helpless to defend, and time slipped back into motion, the muscled echidna sank down to his knees. His opponent now stood a few feet in front of him, smirking a smug grin.**

"**Pathetic" said the hedgehog " but you did prove a challenge,"**

"**Grrr!" growled Knuckles, locking the hedgehog with his eyes " Next time you won't be so lucky pal!"**

"**You can call me Shadow" said the hedgehog " you've at least earned that much."**

"**How honored" scoffed Knuckles, shakingly standing up " but you put up a good fight too. My name's Knuckles by the way. You came all this way out into a forest just to have a fight?"**

"**I've been traveling a lot" said Shadow " and heard some rumors about injustice being done here. Running into you was a bonus."**

"**So you're a hero huh?" said Knuckles " So are me, Tails, and the rest of my friends. Though Sonic takes most of the spotlight."**

"**Sonic?" said Shadow, his gaze now curious "I've heard rumors about a blue hedgehog in these parts. Is he the one?"**

"**Yeah, that's Sonic alright" said Knuckles proudly " If you want I can show you where we hang, and you can meet him face to face."**

"**Perfect," said Shadow. He could hardly wait for the chance.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hey Tails! Sonic!" yelled Knuckles, when he and Shadow finally reached the beach where Tails house stood. "You guys here?"<strong>

"**This is their hideout?" thought Shadow stopping as Knuckles continued to look around, a little disgusted at the sight.**

**He had expected a little more from the heroes who watched over this town. It seemed like they spent more time laying on their backs instead of accomplishing anything of use.**

"**They must be out for a run or something" said Knuckles, walking back out on the beach where Shadow stood "I can't find them anywhere."**

"**Chaos around here must be slow" said Shadow, careful not to show he was displeased " for your team to have so much free time on their hands."**

"**Actually, it's pretty rare" said Knuckles " Normally we get attacked every single day by whatever robot Eggman has dreamed up. Guess the Doc needs time for some rest too."**

"**Hmm" thought Shadow aloud, his interest suddenly peaked " If this Eggman is your enemy, then why haven't you already finished the job?"**

"**Finish what job?" asked Knuckles confused "Like I said, we send him packing every single day."**

**Shadow's red eyes narrowed and seemed to glint, causing a small shiver of fear to crawl up Knuckles spine. For just a moment, he could sense a feeling of danger surging out from Shadow's soul, extending its cold hands to his heart. Shadow kept this new gaze as he approached the echidna. Knuckles felt completely powerless.**

"**Tell me" said Shadow, his voice slow and deadly " where does this Eggman live?"**

"**Just on the mountain over there," said Knuckles, pointing to Eggman's island fortress.**

**Shadow took his gaze off Knuckles and looked at the fort, shaking his at the stupidity of the heroes living so close to the bad guy's lair. Well, there was one way to remedy that, and with the help of his new partner here, Eggman was going down.**

* * *

><p><strong>Later that afternoon, just as the sun was beginning to set, a tired Tails and Sonic yawned as they approached their house, exhausted from their day off. Well, it had originally started as a day off, until Eggman had interrupted them during the middle of their run with another metal machine. Seriously, did the guy ever rest from making robots?!<strong>

**It seemed like forever until they finally beat it down, and the long run home was just enough to make them barely stand on their feet.**

"**Uhh" said Sonic " I don't know about you Tails, but I am ready for a long nap."**

"**Ditto Sonic," said Tails, as they walked in through the door. The sight they found inside snapped them awake instantly.**

**The house was a total disaster! Things had been ransacked and with haste! Someone had been here looking for something, and whatever it was couldn't be good.**

"**They got lab too!" said Tails, rushing out from the basement " I don't understand. Who would do this to my house? Eggman?"**

"**I don't think so" said Sonic, looking around in disbelief " Eggman was busy with us all day, and even he's not dumb enough to do this. Besides…" he paused, looking at the floor, picking up a tiny thread of hair "who do we know that has black fur?"**

* * *

><p><strong>Elsewhere, walking through the drifting shadows of darkness to Eggman's lair, two figures silently crept, looking for a way to get inside. Shadow took the point lead, searching ahead for any traps, while Knuckles followed behind, carrying a sling full of equipment swiped from Tails lab.<strong>

"**I hope Tails will be able to forgive me for this," thought Knuckles, thinking back on what made him agree to help Shadow in his quest.**

"_**Shadow, what are you doing?" asked Knuckles as the black hedgehog immediately slipped inside Tails house, and started messing around with stuff. " That's Tails and Sonic's stuff! They're not going to be happy to see it moved."**_

"_**Relax my friend" said Shadow " I'm just looking for supplies. After all, you and I have a mission to complete."**_

"_**What mission?" asked Knuckles confused.**_

_**Instead of answering that question, Shadow shot back with one of his own. **_

"_**Knuckles, tell me" he stated " what is the purpose of a hero's goal?"**_

"_**That's easy" said Knuckles " to stop the bad guys."**_

"_**Wrong!" said Shadow sharply, almost making Knuckles jump " It's to stop injustice from being done. Erasing it from existence by whatever means possible. This Eggman is only one small drop in the ocean for every other horror I've seen, but he deserves judgment all the same. You have no idea what evil is truly capable of, but I shall teach you. I shall teach, and you shall, we invade Eggman's fortress tonight."**_

_**And that was that. After Shadow had given Knuckles that speech, Knuckles had given in to the hedgehog's will, and helped him gather some of Tails things to load into a sling they would carry for their mission.**_

**Now, they were encroaching on Eggman's turf, standing before the massive doors that led straight into the citadel. Shadow grinned as he pulled out one tool, and started to work on the electronic lock. Eggman would barely even know what hit him.**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, inside of his personal chambers, Eggman was preparing for bed, while Orbot and Cubot tended to his nightly whims.<strong>

"**Here's your milk Sir," said Cubot, handing Eggman a cool, fresh glass.**

"**And don't forget Mr. Snuggles," said Orbot floating in with Eggman's brown, plush teddy bear.**

"**Orbot" said Eggman testily " how many times have I told you? I don't need that thing when I'm napping!"**

"**Oh, but Sir" claimed Orbot " he's just so cute and cuddly. Look his little captain hat, and button nose. Oh, and don't forget those seedy, black eyes." **

"**Fine, I'll take him," said Eggman, accepting the bear after he had finished his milk, and then dove under the covers to go to sleep. **

"**Make sure the alarms are on," he said, before drifting off into a snooze.**

"**Yes Sir" said Orbot, pressing a random button on his arm "Security system online now. Well Cubot, shall we?"**

"**Of course," Cubot responded, and both robots followed their master to sleep, not aware that at this moment their sanctity was being invaded as they snoozed.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>The main controls" said Shadow later, when he and Knuckles walked into a wide room full of monitors " Now, let's see what we can receive."<strong>

**With that said, Shadow started typing away, decrypting Eggman's files one by one while Knuckles just stood back and observed. The red echidna was a little confused on how easily he and Shadow had gotten into this place. It's like Eggman didn't set up his security shields until after he and Shadow managed to break in. **

**Pulling his mind off of Eggman for a moment, Knuckles focused his eyes back on the screens, where the files Shadow searched flashed before his eyes. Most of it was a lot of robo-mumbo jumbo that he couldn't understand, but then, when it landed on a couple of profiles about the Sonic Boom gang, that's when his interest was peaked.**

**Shadow read through every profile, before downloading it on the flash-drive he had stolen from Tails lab, letting the new info join all the data he collected, before moving to the next file on screen. Shadow stayed the longest on Sonic's profile, watching all the recordings of the Doctor's defeats against the speeding, blue blur.**

**Obviously, Eggman was keeping tabs on whenever an evil scheme had gone wrong, so that he could better prepare himself for the future.**

**Downloading the last little bit of information, Shadow pulled out the flash-drive and pocketed it in his fur. Phase One of this mission had been completed, now it was time to move on to Phase Two. **

"**We're done here" said Shadow to the red echidna " Knuckles, bring out the device."**

**Nodding, Knuckles brought down the sling, and unwrapped the last item he had been told to bring along from Tails place. Standing in the light of the bright room, a large, black box sat, wires sticking out from its hull, and a glass timer displaying minutes on the top.**

"**What is this?" asked Knuckles, handing over the device to Shadow.**

**Shadow set up the timer on the box, wired it to the controls, and answered Knuckles eerily.**

"**A time bomb," said Shadow.**

"**What?!" said Knuckles shocked " You mean this what you had planned all along? To destroy Eggman's base! He lives here! That's murder!"**

"**And why do you care if a villain dies?" said Shadow " That's you and your friends weakness Knuckles, to afraid to go extremes to accomplish your goals."**

"**I'm not going to let you blow this place!" growled Knuckles, crouching into a fighting stance.**

"**Then try and stop me," said Shadow, and rushed in to attack.**

**Knuckles dodged as Shadow sped by, and threw out a punch, only to miss, hitting nothing but air. Before Knuckles knew what hit him, a rain of pain barraged against his back, as Shadow jumped up from behind sending down a tide of Chaos Spears.**

**Knuckles collapsed to the ground, fighting through the torture, as his violet gaze wondered over to the exit where Shadow now stood, smirking in triumph. Waving a small goodbye, the black hedgehog turned and dashed out the door, leaving Knuckles alone to deal with the bomb. **

**Grunting as he stood, Knuckles immediately racked his brain for options as the timer counted down. He had no idea how to disarm the bomb. Without Tails around it was useless! There was no choice but to escape before the fortress exploded, and Knuckles had at least one more task before that final moment arrived.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Ugh!" grunted Knuckles, punching a large hole in Eggman's wall, where the genius and his two robots slept.<strong>

"**Sorry about this Doc" said Knuckles to Eggman, loading the two robots onto Eggman's bed, before he started pushing the whole thing towards the hole.**

**The bed tilted as it reached the edge, and then slid down the mountain-side, towards the beach, at lightning speed. The thuds and jolts along the way instantly snapped awake Eggman and his robo-companions, sending them screaming the whole ride.**

**Landing hard on the beach, sand in his pink pajamas, a grumpy Eggman growled, immediately looking for an explanation of this cruel awakening when his fortress exploded up in a fiery ball of ash. His mouth dropped open, stunned, as he could barely believe the unfortunate sight standing in front of him.**

**All his pent up anger immediately twisted and turned, quickly pitting the blame on his arch nemesis.**

"**SONIC!" Eggman yelled.**

**Meanwhile, far away, on a tall hill, Shadow the Hedgehog had stopped for a brief moment to watch the explosive sight, then dashed off into the darkness, seeming to disappear.**


	3. Episode 3: Mistaken Identity

**Episode 3: Mistaken Identity**

"**Oh Mommy I love it!" cried out an excited little, cream-colored rabbit, bouncing up and down as she looked at the lovely new dress her mom had made.**

"**You have to admit Vanilla" said a squirrel, agreeing with the small bunny " this is one of your finest designs yet. Even Cream thinks so." **

"**That's sweet of you to say Sally" said an older, cream-colored rabbit, smiling at the squirrel " and I always enjoy making my daughter smile."**

**Indeed, the dress had turned out better than Vanilla could ever dream it would be. Scarlet red with thin straps, the dress extended downward into a long skirt beset with sequins, and a golden ring that flowed around the edge like an ocean wave. In the center of the chest, there was a sparkling, green jewel, completing the outfit with a mystic touch.**

**Cream beamed up at her mom, happiness bubbling up inside her heart. Nothing in the whole wide world could dare spoil this moment, but then, a thundering explosion suddenly sounded from outside.**

**Concerned with what could be happening, Sally immediately rushed out the door of Vanilla's dress-making shop, and ran out into the street, the two bunnies following behind her. While Sally ran on, Vanilla and Cream stopped at the doorframe, releasing a sharp gasp.**

**The whole village was completely engulfed in flames, and citizens ran around in panic, unsure of what they could do to survive. Vanilla held Cream close, and immediately started rushing her and her daughter towards the outskirts of the city. Whatever was the reason for all this chaos, it was not safe to stick around and find out.**

**Cream, who had been so joyous moments before, now shook and cried, trembling with fear. She gripped tight onto her mom's fur, as Vanilla carefully weaved their way through alley's in order to get out of the city. **

**Smoke piled up in the air, blacking out the sky, while the fire snapped and cracked, licking its flames against the ruins that were once wood and stone. **

"**What terror could have caused this?" thought Vanilla, when suddenly a large crack caught her super-sensitive ears.**

**Looking up in alarm, Vanilla realized that she had mistakenly led her and Cream under the short awning that led to side marketplace. The marketplace was close to the woods, where she and Cream would be safe from harm, but she had completely forgot about the awning that led there.**

**The fire now clawed at the wooden supports holding the awning in place, and the beams shrieked as their strength ebbed, hindering on the brink of collapse. **

"**Run Cream!" yelled Vanilla, urging both them to move faster.**

**Crack! ... sounded the wood from above, as the flames of the fire finally damaged it beyond compare. Cream made it outside of the awning first, with her mother following only a few steps behind her, when the entire structure collapsed.**

"**Uh!" Cream cried in horror, running back to where she had exited "Mommy!"**

**Lying still, with half of her body trapped by the burning wood, the unconscious form of Vanilla lay, sprawled across the dirt. Blue eyes teeming with tears, Cream instantly ran and tried to lift off the burning timber from her mother, panic gripping her heart.**

**Suddenly, the sound of a sharp whistle immediately caught the tiny rabbit's ears, and Cream turned to see a dark figure staring at her from just a few feet away. His blue fur shone out eerily in light of the flickering embers for just a moment before he turned and ran away, speeding like a flash of light.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Ahh" said Sonic, speeding around the next day, running around the landscape, dodging all the obstacles in his path " nothing like a morning run to get your juices flowing for the day."<strong>

**After quickly eating a healthy breakfast, Sonic immediately stretched out his legs and asked Tails if the fox would be joining him for the morning run. Tails politely declined Sonic's offer, saying that his mind had come up with the idea for a new invention last night, and he wanted to get started right away.**

**Nodding that he understood, Sonic sped out to complete the run on his own. He had already passed his way through the main village, and made his way into the forest where the pathways to other villages lay open to explore.**

**Deciding to take the North-Eastern route, Sonic sped his way down the barren path, and within seconds arrived at gruesome sight of destruction. Buildings were torn and ruined, many of the citizens looked injured, and one little rabbit was crying, held tight in the arms of a squirrel.**

" **Hey" said Sonic, walking closer to the squirrel and the rabbit "what happened here?"**

**Both the rabbit and squirrel looked up to see who spoke, and the young rabbit immediately cried and cringed, looking at Sonic with fear in her eyes.**

"**He's the one!" shouted the young rabbit, turning her head to the squirrel " He's the one who hurt Mama!"**

"**What?!" asked Sonic confused, but the squirrel was quick to react. Getting up on her feet, the amber-eyed mammal glared directly at Sonic.**

"**So you came back to gloat on what you've done eh?" snapped Sally, her blood boiling with frustration " Well Mister, all of us here would like a payback for the suffering you caused last night!"**

"**Last night?" said Sonic, still confused "No! Wait! You got it all wrong!"**

"**Attack!" Sally cried, and all the villagers suddenly went into action.**

**Knowing that it was pointless to stay, and stand his ground against an angry mob, Sonic quickly put his feet into turbo gear, and dashed off back home. The others surely weren't going to believe this story once he arrived back.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Whew," said Tails, wiping off another bead of sweat as he tightened with his wrench. This new project was certainly giving him a workout with its complex design.<strong>

"**Hey Tails" called Knuckles, as he, Amy, and Sticks walked into the fox's workshop "What are you doing today?"**

"**Just working on a new machine" said Tails, taking a minor break from his work " Sonic's out on a run and won't be back 'till later, meanwhile help yourself to the fridge. We have some leftover fruit from last night,"**

"**I think I will," said Knuckles, him and Sticks departing for the kitchen, while Amy stayed behind.**

"**So" the pink hedgehog asked " did you find out who was responsible for the break-in yet?"**

"**Not yet" said Tails, putting down his wrench, and picking up a screwdriver " all we got is a tuft of black fur, and there are probably dozens of people it could belong to. Anyway, whoever did rob the house hasn't come back in awhile, so I suppose it was only a one time thing."**

"**I guess" said Amy " I just wish we knew who it was. What kind of crook would want to raid your lab? Whoever it was has something no good up his sleeves."**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, inside the house, Knuckles was stacking up himself a bowl of fruit, while Sticks sat on the couch, boredly flipping through the channels that played across the TV. A struggled yawn came out of the orange badger's mouth. <strong>

"**Nine hundred channels and nothing to watch," yawned Sticks, about to flip to another station when the sign 'Breaking News Flash' rocketed on the TV screen.**

"**Ooo! Ooo!" she cried, suddenly excited " This looks like fun!"**

**Having heard Sticks yells of excitement, Knuckles immediately wandered over, and looked towards the TV screen to watch what had caught the badger's interest. His mouth dropped open wide with horror when a picture of Sonic came up with the word 'Wanted' shining underneath.**

**Forgetting about his bowl of fruit, Knuckles immediately dropped the dish and yelled out to Amy and Tails, demanding the two mammals quickly come inside. Amy and Tails mouths also dropped open in horror.**

"**I can't believe this" said Amy stunned "There's no way that can be true!"**

"**Sonic the Hedgehog is highly suspected of damaging many small villages along the forest border" claimed the anchorman " and seems to be moving on to bigger targets as the days pass. If you see him, do not combat and call 911 immediately! Mobius's greatest hero has gone rouge!"**

**A hurried knock suddenly pounded on the door, and Tails slowly got up to let a frantic Sonic in. The gang all eyed the blue hedgehog wearily. Sonic immediately noticed their look, but decided not to comment on it.**

"**Guys" said Sonic " something's going on here. I don't know how or why, but people think I'm doing damage to their cities!"**

"**We know" said Knuckles, pointing to the TV " we saw the news broadcast,"**

"**Everyone on the planet probably saw it," said Amy.**

"**Woohoo!" cried Sticks, not really getting the direness of this situation " Sonic's a rock star! Going with the bad boy image to impress the public was neat, but it needs a little pizazz. Oh, I know! How about talking chainsaws playing opera music while flaming monkeys hang up high on swings throwing chocolate bars?" **

**Everyone just stared at Sticks as if she was nuts, which wasn't really far from the truth.**

"**What?" asked Sticks confused.**

"**Uh, anyway" said Sonic, trying to get back on the subject " besides my rock star career, someone is out there making my name look bad, and I'll make sure the only tune that he sings is the jailhouse rock!"**

* * *

><p><strong>The next day found the Sonic Boom gang traveling to main square of the Eastern village, where Tails had heard over the radio, another village was being destroyed. The sun was close to setting when they arrived, and many of the buildings were still in flames.<strong>

"**Everyone!" yelled Sonic, eyeing all the chaos "Make sure the citizens get safely out of here, I've got an arsonist to track down."**

"**Then you're in for a short trip," called out a familiar voice that Knuckles recognized instantly.**

"**Shadow!" Knuckles called out, when the black and red hedgehog jumped to the ground.**

"**You know this guy Knuckles?" asked Sonic, surprised.**

"**Yes, he know me" said Shadow " just like I know you are the one who's been causing chaos all over Mobius,"**

"**What?!" said Sonic, getting steamed " How do I know you're not the one? Jealous that I'm more handsome than you?"**

**Without speaking another word, Sonic and Shadow charged at each other, locking themselves within fierce combat. The other members of the Sonic Boom gang were almost tempted to help out, but were quickly reminded by Tails and Amy that the citizens needed them first, so they headed out.**

**Once inside the city, the Sonic Boom gang immediately split up to help whatever citizens they could. Tails and Amy went to lift the pilings up off a fallen building so that a pair of raccoons could escape, when Tails felt a sharp thud pound straight in his back.**

"**Tails!" Amy cried out as the fox went unconscious, and whatever she had planned to say after that was lost, as the sharp thud from a knife hand caused her to black out as well, leaving the raccoons crying and the rescuers to burn.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Ugh!" grunted Knuckles, punching a hole in the side of a building, allowing a mother duck and her chicks to escape.<strong>

"**Thank you," said the mother, and quickly ran off with her spawn.**

"**Heh" said Knuckles without effort "Who's next?"**

**A hard spin to the back soon answered that question, and Knuckles turned right around to see who had the nerve to attack. His violet gaze widened in surprise when he spotted the familiar blue form standing right in front of him, the form of Sonic the Hedgehog.**

"**How is this possible?" thought Knuckles to himself "Sonic's busy fighting with Shadow! He can't be in the village now, can he?"**

**Before the echidna could even think to answer his own questions, Sonic attacked using speed-like force, and Knuckles was forced to defend and counter. He had experience fighting against the blue hedgehog, but never before had the purpose been so strange. It just didn't feel like the real Sonic was fighting, more like a robot, under a puppet master's control.**

**The duel continued with ferocity. Kick, punch, kick, punch, until finally Sonic had seemed like he had enough, and delivered one final spin attack straight at Knuckles. The echidna fell over backwards and crashed hard to ground, unwilling to believe that he had been beaten, and struggled to stand and finish the fight.**

**The green light in Sonic's eyes remained still, seemingly unimpressed at Knuckles efforts, and then dashed off without a word, leaving Knuckles confused as to what this all meant.**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Amy! Tails!" said Sonic, rushing into the city, after he and Shadow had finished their fight.<strong>

**It was the strangest thing, Shadow letting Sonic go. The black hedgehog was gaining an early lead into the battle, and then suddenly he stopped, telling Sonic that he should go check on his friends, before disappearing with Chaos Control.**

"**Just who is this Shadow character anyway?" thought Sonic to himself "Oh well, I pry the details from Knuckles later,"**

**Without another thought, Sonic leaned over his two friends to make sure that they were unharmed, and then scooped up Tails and Amy in his arms, before dashing off into the night.**

* * *

><p><strong>Knuckles was confused, very confused. Just what was going on for Sonic to attack out of the blue like that? And why had his friends left him there to travel back alone, without even bother saying that they had to leave? This was all one huge mystery for the red echidna.<strong>

"**Having doubts about your sanity?" asked Shadow's voice from behind, instantly causing Knuckles to turn around.**

"**You!" growled Knuckles, looking at the black hedgehog "What do you want now Shadow?"**

"**Is that anyway to treat a friend?" said Shadow, feigning hurt " I thought we trusted each other."**

"**Your trust nearly resulted in murder!" said Knuckles "Is this more of the same?"**

"**Maybe" said Shadow, his red gaze taking a deadly glint " if you can provide the answer to one question. Do you trust your friend?"**

"**I've always trusted Sonic," said Knuckles in defense.**

"**But not now do you?" said Shadow, slyly " I can see the doubt in your eyes. Sonic has changed, he's with the bad boys now, and the only remedy is for him to die."**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, inside Eggman's fortress, the diabolical doctor was grinning wide, watching every inch of pure destruction pour across his monitor screens. The vulgar image of Sonic's face was being broadcasted all over the news, and the evil genius couldn't be filled with more joy.<strong>

"**Finally Sonic will get what he deserves" said Eggman "and he shall pay for destroying for my laboratory. Wouldn't you agree my little friends?"**

**With that said, the Doctor turned to face the still forms of Amy and Tails, both unconscious, and hanging uselessly from steel chains. The blue form of Sonic the Hedgehog stood right beside them, looking smug as the Doctor praised his work.**

* * *

><p><strong>The next day, at Tails house, Knuckles found Sticks there without the sign of anyone else around. The badger was just sitting down absorbing some rays from the sun, and barely looked twice as Knuckles entered Tails house searching for Sonic and Tails.<strong>

**Knuckles mind was a storm of angry and confused, after being left behind and talking to Shadow last night. He didn't want to believe the black hedgehog's words that Sonic had really turned to the side of evil, but after had finished explaining about his fight with Sonic, it made Knuckles all the more curious to find out the truth.**

**The inside of Tails house looked the same as before, and neither Tails or Sonic could be seen in sight. Knuckles didn't bother to question where they were this time, and started looking around for clues that could prove Shadow's story to be false.**

**He didn't get much further into the main room, when his eyes caught notice of something strange of the wall. Claw marks seemed to be shredded into the wood, indicating that some kind of battle had taken place here just a few short hours ago.**

**These claw marks instantly struck a bell in Knuckles memory, and the red echidna's eyes narrowed in rage.**

"**What you looking at Knuckles?" called out Sonic's voice, making the echidna turn around.**

"**Nothing" said Knuckles, slightly unsure and angry, then growled, glaring at Sonic " Nice to see you still remember me, friend."**

"**Whoa" said Sonic, backing up a little "What's got your tail in a knot? Hey, speaking of which, don't you got some explaining to do, about that Shadow guy?"**

"**Shadow" said Knuckles softly, whispering the name as it were poison " I didn't want to believe him before, but now I do. You're nothing but a fake Sonic!"**

**With that said, Knuckles surprised Sonic with a hard punch to the chin, blasting the hedgehog straight out of the front door, and startling Sticks out of her tanning pose. The badger began to yell out the point of the guys interrupting her relaxation, but stopped in mid-rant as Knuckles followed out after Sonic and dealt the hedgehog with another hard blow.**

"**Knuckles!" shouted Sticks in horror "That's Sonic! Stop! What are you doing?!"**

**Knuckles didn't respond to the badger's cries and just continued to go after Sonic. Realizing that his friend had gone insane, Sonic immediately went into fight mode and started defending back against Knuckles attacks. Sonic had no idea why one of his best friends was attacking him, but the reason didn't matter if he hoped to survive.**

**Knuckles power was a formidable match against Sonic's speed, as both sides refused to give into another's will. The fight might have lasted for a long time had not, after a successful spin attack by Sonic, Shadow stepped in and blasted the hedgehog from behind with a Chaos Spear.**

**Knuckles wasn't to surprised to see Shadow appear this time, although he was a little miffed to have the black hedgehog interrupt his brawl. Shadow just casted Knuckles with one of his trademark smirks, before both rivals nodded and charged at Sonic with full force.**

**Caught between the face of two powerhouses, one of whom who could match his speed, Sonic barely stood a chance against the fearsome onslaught, and soon lay beaten in the sand, powdered to a pulp.**

**Heavy breathes weaved from Knuckles mouth, as he looked down upon the fallen form of Sonic, a train of guilt edging through his heart. It had to be done, he must believe it. Sonic had to fall, he had to die.**

**On the ground, Sonic gave one last jolt of life before his image flickered and faded away, revealing the true form that lied beneath. Robot spines and steel, blue arms now shone perfectly in the afternoon light. Metal Sonic had been revealed.**

"**Metal Sonic?" said Sticks confused, looking at the remains of the dead machine " What's he doing here?"**

"**Better ask the Doctor that question" said Knuckles " He fooled us all, and it's time to stop his schemes for good."**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, inside Eggman's fortress, Tails and Amy were just slowly starting to come out of their unconscious trance in time to here Eggman pound his fists in anger and yell at the computer screens.<strong>

"**Blast!" shouted Eggman, extremely disappointed "How could they have known?"**

"**Wah, Dr. Eggman!" yelled Amy, dragging the genius's attention "What are we doing here?"**

"**Ah" said Eggman, looking at his prisoners " so you two are finally awake I see. Well it's a little to late for the finale, seeing as Metal Sonic failed to eliminate the rest of your friends,"**

"**Metal Sonic?" said Tails, the truth suddenly hitting him like a strike " So you were one responsible for all the destruction happening around the forest!"**

"**Hahaha!" laughed Eggman joyfully "You're half right, but I had a little help with the destroying part,"**

**With that said, the Doctor turned and pointed as the familiar form of Sonic the Hedgehog approached, his green eyes clouded and glassy, as if they held no emotion to express to the world. Amy was furious to see Sonic in this state, and pulled hard against her chains.**

"**What have you done with him?!" yelled Amy " You monster!"**

"**Oh I made Sonic into my personal, little slave" gloated Eggman " Orbot and Cubot snuck into Tails house one night, and implanted a little chip in the back of Sonic's neck. Now his nerves are under my control, and I can make him do anything I want, like destroying a few villages here and there. He's been working for me for weeks!"**

"**But" said Tails confused " if he was working for you all that time, then who was the Sonic hanging around with us?"**

"**Why Metal of course!" said Eggman " I improved his programming and gave him a disguise, making him think, look, and act like the real Sonic. It made him the perfect infiltration device! While the real Sonic worked for me, Metal hung out with you until orders came for your elimination."**

"**Then why bring us here?" asked Tails confused.**

"**Because every evil villain needs to at least gloat to two witnesses before ordering their death!" said Eggman with a frustrated sigh " It's in the super villain fan-book, hello? Besides, watching you squirm under all this info is perfect payback for destroying my lab."**

**Tails was about to question what Eggman meant by 'destroying' before the mad scientist ordered Sonic to kill his two friends. Tails and Amy's hearts froze with horror, as the zombie-like Sonic approached, eyes cold and hard, ready for the kill.**

**However, before such a gruesome fate could be reached, a wall exploded inward allowing the forms of Knuckles, Sticks, and Shadow to walk directly inside, ready for a brawl.**

"**Alright!" shouted Amy and Tails.**

"**Sonic, destroy them!" commanded Eggman, and the blue hedgehog immediately went on the attack.**

**Shadow went in to confront Sonic, while Knuckles and Sticks got busy to work freeing Amy and Tails. Soon the pink hedgehog and the twin-tailed fox were free, and Tails immediately rushed over towards Eggman's controls to see whether or not he could end the fight.**

"**Err!" growled Eggman in anger, as Sonic and Shadow continued to clash "Robots, get in here! Eliminate that black hedgehog!"**

"**Come on guys!" said Knuckles, punching around as the robots came in. Amy and Sticks soon followed his lead.**

**Meanwhile, unnoticed by the controls, Tails fingers were typing fiercely across the keyboard to get rid of the device that controlled Sonic. It seemed like minutes before he finally found the file he was looking for, and slapped the release command on screen.**

**Sonic began to scream in pain, and writhed himself to a kneeling position upon the floor, the metal chip jumping out from the back of his neck. His cloudy, green eyes cleared as he began to become aware of his surroundings once again, and stared at all the chaos confused.**

"**Wha…what happened?" said Sonic.**

"**Yeah, we did it!" yelled Amy, as Knuckles took down another machine.**

"**I think it's time for a tactical retreat," said Eggman, rushing to the safety of his inner chambers, knowing he had lost.**

**Everyone watched as the Doctor escaped, but said nothing about it as they gathered up their bearings and decided to leave the fort. Sonic looked up at his saviors both happy and confused, once he noticed Shadow standing in the crowd.**

"**Who are you?" asked Sonic, since only his metal counterpart had seen the black hedgehog before. "You seem just like me."**

"**Don't falter yourself hedgehog" scoffed Shadow with a glare " you and I are nothing alike. And your friends…" he continued, looking directly at Knuckles " have a lot to learn."**

**With that said, Shadow turned around and dashed off, disappearing into the setting sun.**

* * *

><p><strong>A few hours later, the whole Sonic Boom gang was resting inside the comforts of Tails home, trying to digest through the last few hours of chaotic events that had taken place. Tails explained to Sonic what Eggman's plan had been, and both roommates readily agreed to keep their home more sealed in the future.<strong>

**Convincing the citizens of Mobius that Sonic was innocent however would be harder to accomplish. The blue hedgehog had a lot of work ahead of him for the next few days. **

"**I'm just glad everything is said and done" said Sonic " Eggman messing with my mind like that was crazy, and what about that black hedgehog guy at the end,"**

"**Yeah" said Sticks " just who is he anyway?"**

"**We can worry about that later" said Amy " Be happy that everything is alright,"**

"**Agreed" said Knuckles, and then noticed Tails far-away look "Tails?"**

"**Oh" said Tails, noting that everyone was now looking at him "I'm okay really, but I thought…what happened to me and Amy back out there in the village, and those two kids we tried to save? I'm just worried if they got out of there alive."**

**Everyone stood silenced at the mystery, not knowing what words to say.**


	4. Episode 4: The Doctor Is In

**Episode 4: The Doctor Is In**

**The sun shone brilliantly on the lush splendor of Mobius, as its citizens woke up to the first rays of dawn. Gently, the light beams cascaded down, refracting through the leaves of the forest as two speedy blurs raced through, churning the wind in their wake.**

"**Good speed Tails" called Sonic to the fox beside him " but you're still to slow to keep up with me."**

"**We'll see about that Sonic," said Tails, madly twirling his namesake.**

**Caught in a rut for new, inventive ideas, Tails had spent the last few days improving his power flying skills, and couldn't wait to show Sonic how fast he became. Sonic was speeding up again while Tails pushed to pass. Not once had the fox managed to beat Sonic in a race, well that wasn't going to happen this time.**

**Tails twirling around now like a fast whirlwind, Tails finally managed to boost past Sonic a few yards, grinning wide as he saw the shock on the blue hedgehog's face. So caught up was he in his pride, Tails didn't notice a wooden object hurling towards him until it was to late.**

"**Ow!" Tails cried, as he immediately plummeted towards the ground.**

**Sonic stopped in shock, skidding ruts in the earth, as his green eyes gazed upon the form of his fallen friend. Panic gripped his heart immediately.**

"**Tails! Tails!" cried Sonic " Are you okay?"**

"**I think so" said Tails groggily " what the heck hit me?"**

**Sonic looked around and eventually picked up a bent stick, but it wasn't just any bent stick it was…**

"**My boomerang!" cried Sticks, as she emerged from the brush, followed by Amy Rose.**

"**Man that hurt," said Tails, holding his head "It feels like I got a concussion,"**

"**Sorry Tails" said Sticks, as soon as she recognized her injured friend " I wasn't aiming at you. I was going for Amy there."**

"**Amy, why?" asked Sonic " and what are you two doing out here in the first place?"**

"**Ahem" said Amy, stepping up "Sticks has her first appointment with the doctor here today, and she's a little bit sensitive about the trip,"**

"**So many needles!" cried Sticks, jumping into a paranoid rant " The handsaws! The lollipops! Oh, those sweet little devils are just waiting for the chance to suck out my brain and turn it into candy for their alien superiors to eat!"**

**Sonic, Amy, and Tails just blinked before Sonic decided to flip the topic back to reality.**

"**The doctor sounds like a good place to me" said Sonic, looking down at Tails " besides, we need to get that bump looked at. Think you can survive a flight into town?"**

" **I'll try" said Tails " but if it gets worse you'll probably have to carry me the rest of the way."**

"**Not a problem pal," said Sonic, and with that, the two friends dashed off.**

"**Well, I guess I'll be going too," said Sticks, starting to walk back into the forest, when a hard whack throbbed against her head. **

**The badger fell, and Amy Rose grinned, smiling triumphantly as a giant hammer rested against her shoulder.**

* * *

><p><strong>The hospital was sparsely packed when Sonic and Tails finally arrived. The blue hedgehog did end up having to carry his little buddy the rest of the way. Tails had collapsed after only a few feet of flying through the air, and Sonic sped up fast.<strong>

**In the waiting room, all of the usual clientele could be seen; patients with colds or asthma, and one red-furred body Sonic didn't expect to see.**

"**Knuckles" said Sonic shocked "what are you doing here?"**

"**Oh, hey Sonic" said Knuckles, noticing his friends " just waiting for the doc to check up on my strength. There's big contest happening up on the North side and I intend to win. You guys entering it too?" **

"**Nah" said Sonic, with a wave " Tails here just needs to get his tails looked at. Sticks accidently clobbed him with her boomerang and now we're here."**

"**Next patient please," called out a voice from down the hall.**

**Knuckles was about to get up and answer, when Amy Rose suddenly stepped in, dragging an unconscious Sticks behind her. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles just looked upon the scene, staring in shock.**

**Before Sonic could even raise his finger to ask, the voice that called out earlier yelled out mad as a large figure stepped into the room. If sonic and the gang weren't shocked before, they were now.**

"**Dr. Eggman!" they yelled out in unison.**

**The diabolical genius looked at them with equal alarm. Tails was the first the break the silence and speak.**

"**What are you doing here?" asked Tails.**

"**Doing my job of course" said Eggman proudly " I'm a real doctor now."**

"**Since when?" asked Sonic skeptically. **

"**Since early this morning" said Eggman " the regular doctor wanted to take a vacation and I gave it to her. Fortunately she allowed a real genius to take her place. Who better for the job?"**

** "Oh I don't know" Sonic scoffed " maybe someone with real medical knowledge."**

**Eggman's eyes glared as he was about to offer a retort, when suddenly Sticks snapped out of her daze. Her blue eyes went wild with panic as she found herself in the medical room.**

"**Time for the shot!" called out Cubot, floating out with a needle in hand.**

"**No!" cried Sticks, digging her claws into the floor.**

**Sonic and the rest had to cover their ears as the screeching of Sticks claws echoed loudly against the floor, helplessly trying to keep her in place as Amy dragged her to her doom. Once the girls had disappeared with Cubot, things settled back into tension with the guys.**

"**Now, as I said" said Dr. Eggman vigorously " next patient!"**

**Knuckles stepped down and followed Dr. Eggman away.**

"**Alright Knuckles" said Dr. Eggman, putting on his gloves before picking up the reflex hammer " let's check those reflexes of yours shall we?"**

"**Whatever you say Doc," said Knuckles, ready to be hit.**

**With a light swing, Eggman tapped the hammer against one Knuckles knees to see whether if his leg would shoot up. Shoot up it did, but Dr. Eggman should have watched where he had positioned his own body before engaging in the act.**

**Striking between the genius's thighs, Knuckles powerful shot Eggman straight into the air, crashing the genius through the roof and out into space. Knuckles stared after the doctor in worried awe, hoping he wouldn't get sued for the painful landing soon to follow.**

**Seconds later, Eggman dropped back in, bruised and battered with unrelenting pain. His frustrated eyes groaned with agony as he attempted to glare up at Knuckles. Knuckles just nervously laughed and looked down at the doc.**

"**Sorry," he said.**

* * *

><p><strong>Outside the office, Sonic and Tails had heard the crash and looked at each other in worry.<strong>

"**What was that?" asked Tails.**

**Sonic was about to respond when Knuckles suddenly walked out of the office followed by an enraged Eggman. The bruises and bumps covering the doctor's body indicated to Sonic that Knuckles checkup didn't go so well.**

"**Out! Out! Out!" yelled Eggman in frustration " You're in perfect health! Just take this lollipop and go home. Next patient!"**

"**Wow Knuckles" said Sonic as the echidna approached " what did you do?"**

"**Uh, nothing much" said Knuckles dismissively "Well, I got a contest to get to, see you later guys." **

**With that said, Knuckles walked out of the building and Sonic and Tails got up to follow Eggman. Before they even stepped through the door, Sticks burst out of the other office like her tail was on fire, scratching up anything in her path as she made a desperate attempt for freedom.**

"**Sticks wait!" called Amy, chasing after her. Cubot soon followed.**

"**Hey, you forgot to pay your bill!"**

**Shaking off the weirdness, Sonic and Tails stepped into Eggman's office, and stopped stunned at what a disaster it seemed. Broken medical equipment lay scattered everywhere, and a large hole in the roof stood above the table where the patients sat.**

"**Decide to do a little redecorating?" questioned Sonic, not able to hold in the joke.**

**Eggman didn't respond to the quip, and began looking over Tails tail. After seconds of observation, Eggman could tell that the sprain wasn't serious, and just gave the fox two aspirin and a lolly to help the pain.**

"**Well" said Sonic, as he and Tails left moments later "I'd never thought I'd say this, but it looks like Eggman makes a good doctor after all."**

**Eggman heard this comment as the hedgehog departed and let loose an evil sneer. Sonic had no idea what was coming to face Mobius the coming day. This doctor scheme had worked to perfection, and now the city was doomed.**

* * *

><p><strong>That evening, Knuckles returned from the contest with a golden trophy in hand. It had been hard fight to beat the rest of his competitors, but the persistence paid off, and now he was heading home with pride.<strong>

**Arriving at his forest shack, Knuckles turned the knob to step inside, but when the door swung open he was stunned to see that he had an unwelcome guest inside his home.**

"**Sticks" said Knuckles, waking the sleeping badger " what are you doing in my house?"**

"**Wait, this is your house?" said Sticks confused " I thought it was mine. That shot from the doctor must have erased all my memory. Who are you?! What's going on?!"**

"**Eh" sighed Knuckles setting down his prize, before reaching for the lollipop Eggman had given earlier that day. He didn't have time to consume it while competing in the contest. "Maybe some sugar will help ya feel better. Bottoms up!"**

"**Okay," said Sticks, jumping up from the bed, swallowing the entire lolly whole with her jaws. **

**Once digested, the lollipop quickly dissolved in Sticks stomach, releasing all of its flavor to flow throughout the blood. Sticks mind began to grow woozy, and her eyes looked at Knuckles with an unfamiliar sense. The echidna's image warped before her, transforming into one of her greatest fears; Vampire bunnies!**

"**Sticks what's wrong?" asked Knuckles, as the badger crept into a feral pounce.**

**Sticks said nothing and lashed out at Knuckles, claws out and ready to kill.**

* * *

><p><strong>Meanwhile, at Sonic's house, the blue hedgehog had peacefully went to sleep, while Tails stayed up late, working on his new designs for an invention he was particularly proud of. He had been working on this baby ever since the break-in a few months ago, and now it was almost complete.<strong>

**One more twist of the screw, and Tails was happy to say that finally it was done. People beware of the Danger Detector! Not only could it broadcast when danger approached, but also could determine what kind it was and what the motive could possibly be. This machine was definitely going to be the best guard for home security.**

"**Ugh" yawned Tails " guess it's time for me to hit the hay as well. The aspirin seemed to help my tail fine. I hope Sonic will be okay in the morning too. He seemed a little woozy after he ate my lollipop."**

**As Tails went to bed, the hedgehog in question was trembling upstairs, trashing under the sheets like he was gasping for a breath of air. All around water flowed, trapping him in its liquid embrace, leaving no momentum to run or space to get air.**

**He was drowning, drowning slowly into the dark depths, cradled in its deadly claws. His pulse rate jumped as his mind filled with fear. The question was, would he ever wake again?**

* * *

><p><strong>The next morning, the regular doctor for the clinic, Doc Ginger, stepped into her office expecting a normal day, but was stunned to find a whole crowd crowding the waiting room, carrying struggling people in their arms who looked desperately ill.<strong>

"**Oh my" said Doc Ginger in horror " what's happening here?"**

**Knuckles decided to answer that, stepping out of the crowd, with a frantic Sticks still in hand. **

"**That's what we'd like to know" said Knuckles, staring at the purple dog " almost everyone who got a checkup from Eggman the other day are suffering from delusions."**

"**Vampire bunnies! Vampire bunnies!" mumbled Sticks. **

"**Eggman?" said Doc Ginger surprised "What was he…No, never mind! We need to help these people right now! Just let me get ready and I'll…,"**

**Suddenly Tails burst in, with a trembling Sonic in his palms.**

"**Doctor! Doctor!" yelled the fox panicked " Help him please!"**

**From one look, Doc Ginger could tell that Sonic was in a serious state. His chest barely breathed, and cold sweat decorated his bright, blue fur. With the help of Knuckles and Tails, Doc Ginger immediately organized all the patients into separate rooms, rating their cases from extreme to most extreme.**

**Sticks was strapped into a straight-jacket and locked in a padded cell, while Sonic was placed in the ICU, fitted with a breathing mask and a water pump to help steady his condition down. Both Knuckles and Tails looked on, worry swimming in their eyes.**

"**What could have done this?" said Tails.**

**The fox's question was soon answered by a loud chortling of evil laughter broadcasting from outside. Recognizing the laugh, Knuckles and Tails immediately rushed out of the clinic to spot Dr. Eggman flying around in his hovercraft, a megaphone perched to his lips.**

"**Citizens of Mobius" spoke Eggman out loud " no doubt you have noticed the plagued currently affecting your town. All is a result from my new invention the Fear-pop. When consumed it brings to life your darkest fears, with effects that can last for days. So don't expect any of your patients to come out of it very soon."**

"**Of course, before the inevitable happens, if you want me to cure them for you, I will happily do it…for the right price! If you want this plague to end, kindly hand all world control towards me, otherwise, there will be a few less citizens to rule."**

**With his threatening speech delivered Eggman left, leaving Knuckles and Tails grinding their fists in unforetold rage. After the Metal Sonic fiasco, what the Doctor did was beyond crossing the line.**

**Looking at each other with mutual agreement, Knuckles and Tails raced off immediately to capture the cure and save Mobius from the villain's plan. This terror ends, today!**

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hahaha!" laughed Eggman inside of his island fortress " In a few hours the whole city will be begging to pay me for the cure to the Fear-pops. Orbot! Cubot! Are all the vials safely stored?"<strong>

"**Yes Your Largeness" said Orbot, floating in " all containers holding the cure for the Fear-pop virus are in the freeze. Would you like me to fetch you one for lunch?"**

"**No you fool!" shouted Eggman to the robot " they're for scheming not eating!"**

**Suddenly a large crash thundered through the room, making the doctor turn around to see a huge whole punched in his doorway. The familiar form of Knuckles stood outlined by the light.**

"**Eggman!" shouted Knuckles, glaring at the doctor "You're going down!"**

"**Really?" said Dr. Eggman un-phased " Well, I have only one answer to that. Robots, attack!"**

**With that said, dozens of bots immediately flooded the room, locking Knuckles in their sights. The echidna battled and faced off against them all, smashing them into robotic bits. Eggman knew that Knuckles was strong, but faced with such overwhelming numbers was sure to exhaust him.**

**However, the genius failed to realize that while he was dealing with the strongest threat, a twin-tailed shadow dropped in from behind him, sneaking its way to the controls in order to help Knuckles out.**

**Just as Eggman had predicted, Knuckles was beginning to tire, however before he could order his robots to finish the assault, all of the machines stopped dead in their tracks.**

"**What? How?" cried Eggman out loud. His eyes turned back to face the main controls.**

**Tails grinned at the doctor with a look of triumph on his face as he pressed in another sequence on the board. All the robots still in one piece, switched back on and turned around to face Orbot and Eggman, making the genius and the bot back up in fear.**

"**No! Aahh!" cried Eggman, as he and Orbot rushed deeper into the fortress, a battalion of robots chasing behind them.**

"**Good work Tails," said Knuckles, shooting a thumbs up.**

"**You're welcome pal" said Tails, with a grin " let me just destroy the formula for the Fear-pop virus, and then we can get the cure. Eggman's extortion scheme has officially gone south."**

* * *

><p><strong>Later, back at the doctor's office, Knuckles and Tails arrived back with the cure, which Doc Ginger welcomed with great relief. Things had only grown worse for the patients during the short time the heroes had been gone. Sonic's heart rate had sped up, and Sticks was on the verge of breaking out of her cell.<strong>

**Moments later, all of the patients woke up from their fear-like daze, a little unsteady to stand, but alive.**

**Sonic looked up with confusion as Doc Ginger removed the IV in his arm, and looked to Knuckles and Tails standing by for an explanation.**

"**Wha…what happened to me?"**

**Knuckles and Tails just looked at each other and grinned.**

* * *

><p><strong>Back at Eggman's fortress, the doctor retired to his bed in despair, nursing the wounds he had obtained while fleeing from his machines. Orbot and Cubot were dressed up in little nurses outfits bringing out the first aid so that they could treat the injuries.<strong>

"**Don't worry Doc" said Cubot, encouragingly " you'll get them next time."**

"**Lollipop?" offered Orbot, holding out a regular piece of candy.**

**Eggman's eyes set into a furious, angry glare.**

"**You…two…DUMB-BOTS!"**


End file.
